Michael Crawford's Review of the Week

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Toyfare Boxing Homer

Of all the Toyfare exclusives, it seems that Boxing Homer had the least hype. He didn't fly off the website like Pin Pal Burns or Pin Pal Moe, and no one complained as much as they did with the Convention Comic Book Guy over how lame he was.

He just sort of snuck in there, although he has been the subject of much discussion in recent weeks. Many of the folks who ordered on-line, myself included, had to wait an inordinately long time to see him on their door step.

But mine finally arrived last week, and I must say that he's a heck of a cool exclusive. Let's face it, you'll always get some sort of repaint or re-deco with an exclusive, but this version of Homer is about as good as you'll see.

Packaging - ***1/2
These little boxes are starting to grow on me. They are collector friendly, they look good, and they're definitely sturdy. While I'd like to see WOS get a facelift in 2002 on their packaging, these boxes are still pretty sweet.

Sculpting - ***1/2
It's Homer. Did you like the Casual Homer? How about the Sunday Best? I think you get my point. This head has been used at least three or four times now, and while it's not a wild expression, it's blankness works well for lots of regular versions.

The sculpt on the lower body is good as well, with boxing shorts and shoes.

Paint - ***1/2
My paint ops were good, with well centered pupils, and good lines between the red and white on the shoes and shorts. There wasn't any bleed from the red to the white either, which is common with those colors.

Articulation - **
I need to make a little rubber stamp for the discussion of WOS and articulation. Neck, shoulders, waist.

If they ever through in another joint, I may keel over from the shock.

Accessories - ***1/2
Now here's where this exclusive really shines. Homer comes with a great pair of boxing gloves that fit right on his hands.

Most exclusives are lucky to have one or two re-used accessories. That's if you're really lucky. But here we get a brand new accessory, never before seen, and unlikely to be seen again. Boxing gloves that fit on his hands! They work as advertised and look great on top of it.

Value - **1/2
Obviously, with a new lower body sculpt and new accessory, this figure is a far better value than CCBG. He's still not worth $17, but he's a better value than CCBG. Heck, he's a better value than any of the previous Toyfare exclusives.

Overall - ***1/2
"Best Exclusive Ever". When comparing exclusives, you have to keep in mind that you aren't going to see a lot of 'new'. But this figure is a fantastic example that even with a variation of a main character, it's still possible to do a great exclusive.

The character selection helps here, since Homer in his boxing attire is a visually amusing character. Add to that the new accessory, and you've got a far better exclusive than Pin Pal Burns, Pin Pal Moe, CCBG or GITD Homer.

Where to Buy -
If you didn't order from Toyfare months ago, I have to tell you that you'll be paying secondary market prices. Unlike other exclusives though, I fear this one will go up over time rather than down, as folks start to realize just what a cool figure it is for an exclusive.

Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.